QUICKBORN CELEBRATES HALLOWEEN WITH THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW!
by Shelly Schoeneshoefer
Boy, do I remember The Rocky Horror Picture Show! The year was 1981 and it was the day I graduated from high school, and since I grew up in a small town in the mountains of Colorado, I had never heard of this film. So one of my best friends, who lived in Boulder, decided it was time for me to take a walk on the wild side for an evening. Well, the evening started out quite normal, except that she told me to wear a nice dress with a cardigan and told me our first stop would be the cinema. She also gave me a list of items to bring. A water pistol? Rice? Toilet paper? Hmm, so what kind of film are we going to see? Well, it didn’ t take long before I realized that I was totally out of my element, and this was no ordinary film at the local art cinema. Unfortunately, several people in the audience quickly figured out that I was a Rocky Horror virgin and I was made to take a prime seat where I was handed a party hat, newspaper, and rubber gloves, and blasted with water, rice, and toilet paper! It truly was a crazy experience, where everyone was dressed as the characters and knew every line in the film, as well as adding quite a few of their own. Everyone danced, sang, and laughed until the end of the show.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show was a 1975 independent musical comedyhorror film directed by Jim Sharman. The screenplay was written by Sharman and Richard O’ Brien( who played Riff Raff). This film was based on the 1973 stage musical created solely by Richard O’ Brien, music, book, and lyrics, paying loving tribute to early science-fiction and“ B” horror movies.
The story begins with a nice young, engaged couple, Janice Weiss( Susan Sarandon) and Brad Majors( Barry Boswick), whose car breaks down one rainy night. They head off to the nearest castle for help. Here they encounter an array of wild characters, including Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a transvestite alien scientist( Tim Curry); Rocky Horror( Peter Hinwood), the creation of Dr. Frank- N-Furter; and a few servants and many groupies.
Naturally when I heard it was the fifty-year anniversary, I decided that my family needed to be exposed to the Time Warp from my past. I wasn’ t sure what to expect from this small German town when I decided to dress up as Magenta the maid for the evening, but I was definitely not disappointed. The audience had a blast, although I am not sure my family was as amused as I was. Perhaps it was better in my fond memory... or perhaps I am still captivated by Tim Curry’ s entrance onto the silver screen.
26 AT THE MOVIES